Rare Free-Living Amoeba Infection Triggers Fatal, Widespread Necrotic Lesions
An otherwise healthy-looking 78-year-old man developed six months of progressive, dark necrotic skin lesions caused by the free-living amoeba Acanthamoeba. After skin biopsies and DNA testing confirmed the organism, doctors treated him with a five-drug regimen and pursued an FDA-approved single-patient nitroxoline trial, with short-lived improvement before multiorgan failure and death six weeks after diagnosis. Researchers speculate that factors such as nasal rinses (a likely exposure route), advanced age, and dupilumab immunomodulation may have contributed to susceptibility, though evidence remains limited.
